A standard history of Kansas and Kansans, Volume I, Part 51

Author: Connelley, William Elsey, 1855-1930. cn
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis
Number of Pages: 668


USA > Kansas > A standard history of Kansas and Kansans, Volume I > Part 51


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He would now pass to the settlement of Kansas, its destiny and the effect it was to have upon the State of Missouri.


The organic law of the Territory vests in the people who reside in it the power to form all its municipal regulations. They can either admit or exelude slavery ; and this is the only question that materially affects our interests.


Upon this subject it would be unnecessary for him to say one word, if things had been left to their ordinary and natural course. Men here- tofore migrated and settled new Territories upon this continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, following the parallels of latitude, and earrying with them their habits, customs and institutions. But now new laws are to govern ; new lines, new habits, customs and institutions are to be substituted, and that, too. by the force of money and organization.


The North is to be turned to the South, and all the Territories of the United States to be abolitionized ; colonies are to be planted in all places where slavery and slave institutions can best be assailed; and Kansas is now a favorite position, from whence they can now assail Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. Men are being sent from Massachusetts and else- where for the avowed purpose of excluding slave-holders from Kansas,


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KANSAS AND KANSANS


and, as a matter of course, to seduce, steal and protect fugitive slaves. The first thing, however, they have to do is to throw into Kansas a majority of votes to control the ballot boxes.


This is the policy of the abolitionists. These incans are used by them. Their money and all other influences they can bring to bear are to be exerted for this purpose.


Gen. Atchison said that his mission here today was, if possible, to awaken the people of this county to the danger ahead, and to suggest the means to avoid it. The people of Kansas, in their first elections, would decide the question, whether or not the slaveholder was to be excluded, and it depended upon a majority of the votes cast at the polls. Now, if a set of fanatics and demagogues, a thousand miles off, could afford to advance their money and exert every nerve to abolitionize the Territory and exclude the slave-holder, when they have not the least personal interest in the matter, what is your duty? When you reside within one day's journey of the Territory, and when your peace, your quiet and your property depend upon your action, you can, without an exertion, send 500 of your young men who will vote in favor of your institutions.


Should each county in the State of Missouri only do its duty, the question will be deeided quietly and peaceably at the ballot box. If we are defeated, then Missouri, and the other Southern States will have shown themselves recreant to their interests, and will have deserved their fate. The abolitionists will have nothing to gain or lose. It is an abstraction with them. We have much to gain and much to lose.


Said he, "If you burn my barn, I sustain a great loss, but you gain nothing. So it is with the colonizationist societies and the dupes they send to abolitionize Kansas.


"If these abolitionists steal your negroes, they gain nothing. The negroes are injured; you are ruined. So much greater is the motive for activity on your part.


"Fellow citizens, we should not be apathetic when so much is in- volved. We should be up and doing." He was for meeting organiza- tion with organization. Ile was for meeting those philanthropic knaves peaceably at the ballot-box and outvoting them.


If we cannot do this, it is an omen that the institution of slavery must fall in this and the other Southern States, but it would fall after much strife, civil war and bloodshed.


If abolitionism, under its present auspices, is established in Kansas, there will be constant strife and bloodshed between Kansas and Missouri. Negro stealing will be a principle and a vocation. It will be the policy of philanthropic knaves, until they force the slave-holder to abandon Missouri ; nor will it be long until it is done. You cannot watch your stables to prevent thieves from stealing your horses and mules; neither can you watch your negro quarters to prevent your neighbors from seducing away and stealing your negroes.


If Kansas is abolitionized, all men who love peace and quiet will leave us, and all emigration to Missouri from the slave States will cease. We will go either to the North or to the South. For himself, he could gather together his goods and depart as soon as the most active among us. He had neither a wife or child to impede his flight. In a hybrid State we cannot live : we cannot be in a constant quarrel-in a constant state of suspicion of our neighbors. The feeling is entertained by a large por- tion of mankind everywhere.


Yet, he said, he was willing, notwithstanding his pacific views, to hang negro thieves; he would not punish those who merely entertained abstract opinions ; but negro thieves, and persons who stirred up insub-


Vol. 1-25


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KANSAS AND KANSANS


ordination and insurrection among our slaves, he believed it right to punish, and they could not be punished too severely; he would not punish a man who believed that rape, murder or larceny was abstractly right ; yet he would punish the man who committed either.


He said that there were a few men who entertained those opinions in the western part of the State of Missouri, and who, no doubt, practiced upon them, and that when full evidence was obtained, justice should be done them. Convincing evidence must be had. He was opposed to violence -- indiscriminate violence, but let the punishment fall on the guilty.


Was it not strange to find, in a State so deeply interested in the question of slavery, a portion of the press denouncing such men as Douglas, Cass, Bright and others, and exulting over victories lately obtained by the Abolitionists in the Northern States? Yet, it was so. As to slanders and abuse heaped upon himself, he cared but little. It was the fate of better men. But a day of reckoning will come. There will be a reaction in the Northern States. The people of the North cannot be in favor of dissolving the Union.


He had always had great confidence in the intelligence and virtue of the people, but he acknowledged that this confidence had beeu somewhat shaken in late years.


He again told the audience that, to succeed in making Kansas a slave Territory, it was not sufficient for the South to talk, but to act; to go peaceably and inhabit the Territory, and peaceably to vote and settle the question according to the principles of the Douglas bill.


In the Western counties of Missouri, preparations were made to in- vade Kansas and vote at the election. Companies were organized and they came over into Kansas on the 28th of November, bringing with them provisions and camping outfits. It was decided before they left home to what point they should proceed for the purpose of voting. It is established that they appeared at the polls in such numbers that the legal voters of the Territory, as defined and qualified by Governor Ree- der, were completely overwhelmed. They took possession of the polls of many of the precincts, selected their own Judges and Clerks of elec- tion, and voted unanimously for General Whitfield. The result of the vote was as follows:


Whitfield


2,258


Flenneken


305


Wakefield 248


Scattering 22


Total vote. 2,833


It was entirely unnecessary for the Missonrians to invade Kansas to carry this election. There is little doubt that Whitfield would have been elected if they had remained at home. He would have received a majority of the legal vote. This election was the first revelation to the people of the country of what slavery had determined to do in regard to Kansas. It was fully revealed that no violence would be neglected to insure the vietory to slavery. Knowledge of the outrage- ous conduct of the Missourians soon spread all over the United States.


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KANSAS AND KANSANS


What had been done in Kansas aroused the North. The South had already been aroused over the organization of the Emigrant Aid Society. It was evident that precautions had been taken in the South, the effects of which, appeared at the polls in this election. Governor Reeder was placed in opposition to the policy of his party as that policy was formu- lated in Western Missouri. It was clear that he would be the object of the wrath of the people of his own party. The Democracy of Pennsyl- vania did not fit the frontier, being altogether too mild for the work demanded to be done there.


CHAPTER XX


ELECTION OF THE LEGISLATURE


Governor Reeder was much disappointed by the course of affairs up to the election of the Delegate to Congress. After that election it was plain to him that he would not be able to satisfy his own conscience and the Pro-Slavery element of his own party in the administration of affairs in Kansas Territory. It is to his credit that he was not swerved from his course in the performance of his duties by what had taken place. He began to make plans for the election of the Territorial Legislature, and these plans revealed the fact that he had not, at that time, given up the idea of making his home in Kansas.


It was necessary to secure a census of the actual settlers in the Terri- tory as a basis of apportionment for members of the Legislature. This enumeration of the inhabitants of the Territory was made during the months of January and February. An abstract of the census returns is here given :


CENSUS OF KANSAS TERRITORY-JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, 1855


Natives of


No. 05


United Foreign


District By Whom Taken


Males


Females


Voters


Minors


States


born


Negroes


Slaves


Total


1 C. W. Babcock ...


633


339


769


459


887


73


2 O. H. Brown ...


316


203


199


937


506


19


1


519


3 T. W. Hayes.


161


91


101


112


215


12


6


252


4 O. B. Donaldson


106


71


47


169


1


1


177


3 William Barbee


824


583


442


724


1,365


26


1.401


G Wilham Barbee


492


318


253


418


791


12


11


11


810


J. B. MeClure.


82


36


5"


50


115


1


1


1


118


8 J. B. MeClure.


56


27


28


76


13


10


83


9


M. F. Conway.


61


51


63


108


93


12


B. H. Twombly


104


40


วร


109


37


1


t-


144


13


H. B. Jolly


116


90


145


273


9


14


14


14


Albert Weed


635


512


534


301


46


1


35


1.167


13


H B. Jolly ..


492


381


:08


418


846


16


15


15


873


16


Charles Leib


91


G_


50


54


143


4


23


159


18


B. H. Twombly


50


10


98


1


. ..


..


99


Totals


2,907


7,469


7.161


408


199


8.601


5


6


14


3


86


10


M. F. Conway


97


11


B. H. Twombly


3


24


314


1.012


104


43


33


1,183


17


Alexander O. Johnson


385


31


12


151


36


The winter of 1854-55 was unusually mild and pleasant. There was little rain or snow. The sun shown brilliantly day after day. The people began to speak of the Territory as "Sunny Kansas." a name which still clings to the State. Settlers came into the Territory by wagon all winter. Those who had previously arrived, engaged themselves in fencing their claims, building their eabins and making preparations to plant crops the roming year.


388


962


-


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KANSAS AND KANSANS


It will be seen that there had been a remarkable growth of popula- tion in the Territory. The census was completed and tabulated in less than a year after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill. It has already been noted that at that time there were not to exceed fifteen hundred white people in Kansas Territory, including soldiers. There had come in during the first ten months more than eight thousand people, all of whom intended to make Kansas their future home. This eensus was taken by the distriets which Governor Reeder had created before the election for Delegate to Congress. The members of the two branches of the Legislature were to be apportioned to these distriets. The upper house of the Legislature, the Conneil, was to be composed of thirteen members. The House of Representatives was to have twenty-six mem- bers-the two houses constituting the Legislative Assembly provided in the Enabling Act. Reference to the table will show that there were two thousand nine hundred and five voters in the Territory, and the ratio of representation was two hundred and twenty-three votes to a council- man and one hundred and eleven votes to a member of the House of Representatives.


The Council Districts, as set up by Governor Reeder, were as follows:


The First, Fourth and Seventeenth Election Districts, containing four hundred and sixty-six voters, shall constitute the First Council Distriet, and eleet two members of the Couneil.


The Second Eleetion District and so much of the Thirteenth as is embraced in the Kansas Half-breed lands, containing two hundred and twelve voters, will constitute the Second Council Distriet, and elect one member of Council; and the voters thus detached from the Thirteenth will vote at the place of election fixed for the Second Elcetion District.


The Third, Seventh and Eighth Election Districts, containing one hundred and ninety-three voters, will constitute the Third Couneil District, and eleet one member of Conneil.


The Fifth Election District, containing four hundred and forty-two voters, will constitute the Fourth Council District, and elect two mem- bers of Council.


The Sixth Election District, containing two hundred and fifty-three voters, will constitute the Fifth Couneil District, and elect one member of Couneil.


The Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Election Distriets containing two hundred and one voters, will constitute the Sixth Council District, and elect one member of Council.


The Wolf River precinet and Doniphan precinct, of the Fourteenth, the whole of the Eighteenth, and so much of the Fifteenth Election District as lies north of Walnut creek and its main branch and a due west line from its source, containing two hundred and forty-seven voters, shall constitute the Seventh Council Distriet, and elect one member of Council; and the voters who are thus detached from the Fifteenth will vote at the Doniphan preeinct.


The Burr Oak precinet, of the Fourteenth District, containing two hundred and fifteen voters, will constitute the Eighth Council Distriet, and elect one member of Council.


The residue of the Fifteenth Election District, containing two hun- dred and eight voters, will constitute the Ninth Council Distriet, and eleet one member of Couneil.


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KANSAS AND KANSANS


The Sixteenth and residue of the Thirteenth Election Districts, con- taining four hundred and sixty-eight voters, will constitute the Tenth Council District, and elect two members of Council.


REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS


The Seventeenth and Fourth Election Districts, containing ninety- seven voters, shall constitute the First Representative District, and elect one member.


The First Election District, containing three hundred and sixty-nine voters, shall be the Second Representative District, and elect three members.


The Second Council District shall be the Third Representative Dis- triet, and elect two members.


The Third Election District, containing one hundred and one voters. shall be the Fourth Representative District, and elect one member.


The Seventh and Eighth Election Districts, containing ninety-two voters, shall be the Fifth Representative District, and elect one member.


The Sixth Election District shall be the Sixth Representative District, and elect two members.


The Fifth Election District shall be the Seventh Representative Dis- trict, and elect four members.


The Ninth and Tenth Election Districts, containing ninety-nine voters, shall be the Eighth Representative District, and elect one member.


The residue of the Thirteenth Election District, containing eighty- three voters, shall be the Tenth Representative District, and elect one member.


The Seventh Council District shall be the Eleventh Representative District, and eleet two members.


The Eighth Council District shall be the Twelfth Representative District, and elect two members.


The Sixteenth Election District, containing three hundred and eighty- five voters, shall be the Fourteenth Representative District, and eleet three members.


Witness my hand and the seal of the said Territory this eighth day of March, A. D. 1855.


A. H. REEDER, Governor, etc.


Attest : DANL. WOODSON, Secretary.


The Governor established two new election districts. The seventeenth district was composed of a small area about the Shawnee Mission. It extended from the Kansas River south along the State-line about twelve miles. It was a narrow strip off the east end of what is now Shawnee township in Wyandotte County, together with a small tract out of the northeastern corner of what is now Johnson County.


The eighteenth district was taken from the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth election districts, and defined as follows: "Commencing on the Vermillion Branch of the Blue River, at the crossing of the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Kearney; thence due north to the line of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Election Districts to the aforesaid military road; and thence, by the middle of said road, to the place of beginning."


There had been some modification of the tenth and the eleventh elec- tion districts, but these did not affect the apportionment of members of


391


KANSAS AND KANSANS


the Legislature. On the 26th of February, 1855, Governor Reeder issued a proclamation defining and setting up the Judicial districts of the Terri- tory. He also assigned the Justiees to these districts and fixed the times and places of holding terms of eourt.


First Judicial District .- Composed of the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth election districts. Chief Justice Samuel D. Lecompte was assigned to this distriet. Courts were to be held at Leavenworth on the third Monday of April and the third Mon- day of October of each year. A special term was to begin on the 19th of March to dispose of the business which might have aceumulated to that time.


Second Judicial District .- Composed of the first, seeond, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventeenth eleetion districts, and assigned to Justice Rush Elmore. Courts were to be held at Tecumseh on the second Monday after the third Monday of April, and the second Monday after the third Monday of October. To eare for the aeeumulated business, a special term was appointed to begin Mareh 26th,


Third Judicial District .- This district was composed of the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth eleetion distriets, and was assigned to Justice Saunders W. Johnston. Courts were to be held at Pawnee on the fourth Monday after the third Monday of April and the fourth Monday after the third Monday of October. The special term was to begin on the second day of April.


Governor Reeder issued his proclamation fixing the election of the Territorial Legislature on the 30th day of March, 1855. The qualifiea- tions of voters were the same as at the previous election.


The movements of Governor Reeder and the Pro-Slavery people had been antagonistie so far in establishing a government in Kansas Terri- tory, and had been in a way preliminary to this election. It had been a sparring for advantage, with the Governor all the time on the defensive and giving ground. The first election had encouraged them. On the 22nd of January a large and enthusiastie meeting was held at Liberty, Missouri, at which it was resolved that Kansas and Nebraska should both beeome slave states. Each party knew that this election would be the most important preliminary event affecting the Territory. The Pro- Slavery party had been impatient at the delay of Governor Reeder in calling this election. ITis failure to call it immediately upon his arrival in the Territory was one of the charges brought against him by the Missourians when they demanded his removal. It was elaimed that he held the election for the Territorial Legislature in abeyance in the inter- ests of the Emigrant Aid Company, giving that Company time to import additional abolitionists into the Territory, thus putting the Pro-Slavery men at a disadvantage. The Missourians knew that they must win the Legislature, or fail in Kansas. The preparations made for the election of a Delegate to Congress were insignificant as compared to those made for the election of the Legislature. Companies were made up as far east in Missouri as Jefferson City for the purpose of voting in Kansas. A depot of supplies was said to have been established in Lawrence for some


392


KANSAS AND KANSANS


companies. Each company earried provisions and arms. These were transported by wagons. Whiskey formed a part of the cargo of a good many of the companies. Some bands arrived as much as two days before the election, and eamped in the vicinity of the polling places. Every- thing had been reduced to a system. Each company had been assigned a certain voting district. It was their intention to have enough Mis- sourians at each polling place to cast a majority of the votes even if all the legal voters persisted in voting, and this, it was not their intention to permit. On the morning of the election, these alien voters swarmed about the polls. At some points they intimidated the Judges and Clerks of eleetion, causing them to resign. Violence was resorted to, but not in every eleetion district. The account of the election at Lawrence, pub- lished in the Kansas Free State on the 7th of April is conservative and is here set out.


No ELECTION


Never within the time "whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary" were there so many human beings ( ?) upon the soil of Kansas Territory as there were on the 30th ult. Emigration poured in very rapidly for about one week previous to the 30th, insomuch that the population of Lawrenee (500) was increased to near 1,500 in two days. The roads were eut up very much with wagons, and the atmos- phere was filled with smoke from their camp fires. On the day preceding the election, large numbers of persons in wagons from Missouri, Arkan- sas, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, made their appearance near the polls in the various precinets. The great majority were from Missouri. There were near 700 eame to this place before the polls opened. They were well equipped with good teams, wagons and plenty of provisions. A great many of them, to our surprise, were as fine a looking elass of Missourians as we have ever seen. Considering the large erowd, and the fact that there was a good deal of liquor among them, they behaved exceedingly well. This was all owing to their being well disciplined, and under the command of good leaders. They were all well armed with revolvers, knives, and double barreled guns. We were told by some of their company that they had brought along two "six pounders, " so as to have them ready in case of emergency.


Mr. Blanton, one of the judges, resigned the day before the election. It then devolved upon Mr. Cameron and Mr. Abbott to select another, which they did the next morning after assembling at the polls. By this time the imported voters had surrounded the polls. Col. Young, one of the leaders of the Missouri company, was first at the polls and took a speeies of oath as to his being an actual and bona fide settler, satisfactory to two of the judges, but not so to Mr. Abbott. Young stated to the dense crowd that he had sworn, and hoped that all would take the same oath, but a great many refused. Mr. Abbott then resigned, another was chosen. The judges were then two pro-slavery and one Free State, after which but four or five were sworn, and then the election proceeded with great vigor. All voted who desired, and there were 783 votes polled for the Missouri ticket, and 255 for the Free State tieket. Some little excitement went off through the day. Mr. Stearns, who was present taking notes, was threatened owing to some misunderstanding of what he had written in his book. While he was explaining, Mr. Bond was pointed out as the "Yankee bully," whereupon a number cried, "shoot


393


KANSAS AND KANSANS


him." He ran off the premises, and some one fired a shot to facilitate his removal.


The whole affair was a miserable farce. A great many of the settlers who came in to vote early in the morning, being kept from the polls so long, and thus seeing their rights so basely trampled upon, retired home without voting, saying that they regarded it no election, and would, therefore, have nothing to do with it.


The foreign voters, finding they had too many here, sent two hundred and fifty up to Tecumseh; even then there were a great number of the most respectable class that did not vote. A number of persons, who have said all along that they were Free-State men, voted the Missouri tieket, because they did not like the other. And there were a good many Free State men who did not vote at all, and there was from seventy-five to one hundred Eastern emigrants, just arrived, who voted the Free-State ticket. This we tried to prevent, but could not, as the pro-slavery im- ported voters used this as their great argument, that if Eastern persons have a right to come in just before the election and vote, persons of other States have also the same right. When we saw that we were so entirely overpowered, we thought it best not to give the pro-slavery party any shadow of pretext in this regard. The election passed off in all other plaees just as it did here. So thorough was the organization of the imported voters, that they designed carrying every preeinet in the terri- tory, by large majorities. The whole design of the persons who came here was to vote, which they did, and then retired to their homes in the States.




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